Dilaw On Embracing The Spirit Of Adventure With New Album ‘RARARA’

Dilaw are back with their first full album, RARARA — inviting listeners on an adventure that blends their signature artistry with new layers of honesty, emotion, and optimism.

That sense of journey mirrored my own on Saturday afternoon, when I found myself in a Grab ride, experiencing the Baguio-based rock band’s first full-length album, and slipping into a main-character moment. Fittingly, the tracks breeze by like the perfect road trip soundtrack, while the cloudy skies on the verge of rain capture the hazy yet comforting atmosphere of Baguio.

The universe seemed to align with the new release, marking a new era for the band and serving as a way of bringing Baguio to Metro Manila. Lo and behold, Dilaw transformed SoundCheck Studios — the venue where they would perform these songs live for the first time — into a space that felt just like Baguio. Packed with the little details such as an ukay-ukay (thrift shop) booth featuring apparel from the band’s personal closet, a swan boat setup, and a mini billiards hall, the space transported the band’s surroundings to Manila.

Meeting the band — Dilaw Obero, Vie Dela Rosa, Leon Karlos Altomonte, Wayne Dela Rosa, En Altomonte, and Tóbi Samson — for the first time felt like my own new kind of adventure.

RARARA captures the band at their proudest. The debut album’s title plays on the word tara, meaning “let’s go,” which becomes the band’s way of inviting fans and listeners into their idea of an adventure. Regardless of how one gets to a destination, or the kind of music one listens to and how it makes them feel, “We tried to channel that emotion throughout the album with Vie and Dilaw’s writing, and with the four of us coming in with the instrumentals,” Leon says.

Adding to that idea, when asked to describe the album in one word, the band collectively raised their open hands and voices in unison. Vie explains that the track “!” (the exclamation point) best captures the answer, representing for them a sense of surprise and an outburst of emotions.

As part of the new era’s rollout, the band introduced “BLACK AND WHITE,” turning their covers monochrome across Spotify and other platforms. The concept stemmed from their curiosity about what the world would look like if album covers didn’t exist, and reimagining that world by shifting their aesthetics to black and white.

Building on this sense of exploration, the band also shaped their first full album around their influences. “Based dun sa mga influences namin from sa past na nabanggit namin dati, may dikit pa rin kung ano ‘yung gusto naming tunog (Based on the influences we mentioned from the past, there’s still a connection to the kind of sound we want),” Vie explains.

Slowly, Dilaw are discovering that the sound they gravitate toward depends on the message they want to convey. Compared to their previous releases, the writing process for the new record has been more personal, which is also anchored by Vie’s knack for adventure and road trips.

This is why the band remains driven to perform the songs they’ve written. The writing process has shifted toward greater honesty, and as Vie humorously notes, there’s now less trash-talking involved. In a sense, the album feels more optimistic, layered with deep emotions and a sense of positive reinforcement. Vie adds that they hope the new record encourages everyone to step outside and embark on their own journeys.

“You really see our true colors — all our influences are there for you to hear on the album,” Leon shares. “We’re all proud of all the songs we’ve released, written, and recorded from the beginning. I don’t think we’re ever gonna let go of the pride and connection we have to those songs. But I mean, I felt this with everyone on the album, and I really felt it with me personally.”

Speaking on moving forward and embracing this new era and going on a new adventure, Leon and Vie shared what they wanted to leave behind. “I wanted to take away all of the barriers that kept me from adding parts,” Leon says. “For all of us, we were just confident in what we had to say with the album, whether it was with our instruments, or with our words, or with our voice.”

Vie shared that for him and Dilaw, the part of their songwriting process they wanted to leave behind was focusing too much on observing other people.“Kasi gusto pa rin naman namin mag-observe, technically (Because we still want to observe things technically). Pero parang ready naman kami maging honest din, and maging, you know, somehow parang medyo personal (But at the same time, we’re ready to be honest, too, and to be somewhat more personal).”

While the album is about building connections with people, the band also takes it a step further by looking inward and focusing on their own identity — sometimes positive, sometimes anxious — choosing to be honest and unafraid of showing that side.

Additionally, according to Vie, the band is excited about opening new chapters in their journey.

“Pinaka-exciting siguro nung tina-try namin i-figure out ‘yung magtanong kung, ‘G ba kayo? O ano, gawin ba natin ’to? O sama ba kayo sa biyahe? O susugal rin ba kayo? Hindi magsusugal?’ Kaya parang ‘yung moment na ’yon, sobrang na-treasure ko, na lahat parang ‘G!,’ wala nang explanation na, ‘kasi ganito, kasi ganyan.’ Hindi… talagang, ‘Tara!’”

(“The most exciting part was probably when we were trying to figure out how to ask, ‘Are you in? Should we do this? Are you joining the journey? Will you take the risk, or not?’ That moment is something I really treasure, when everyone just said, ‘We’re in!’ No explanations, no ‘because this or that.’ No… just, ‘Let’s go!’”)

Ending my brief conversation with the band, they shared the personal lessons they learned from making the record. Vie learned to say “No!” to others when things get uncomfortable, while En playfully adds that she learned the chords of the new songs.

Dilaw, on the other hand, learned to listen to other people, specifically with this album.

Meanwhile, Leon learned to be confident in what the band has to offer and continues to bring to the table: “I feel like it takes a long time for any musician to find that confidence, and even though I felt like I’ve learned a lot from the album, I know there are so many steps to go with this confidence journey. But I’m happy this album brought me forward.”

For Wayne, it was learning to sing the songs and play bass on the new tracks, while also becoming more comfortable with whatever life presents.

Lastly, Tóbi learned the importance of cohesiveness: “What I learned was cohesiveness, because this is a project. In [this] body of work, each track has to flow together, so one shouldn’t sound completely different from another. There should be a dynamic from start to finish, and that’s what I learned.”

All these lessons and personal discoveries come together in the closing track “AMISTAD,” which is the track that resonated deeply with the band, and a heartfelt ode to home and the people ready to welcome you back.

Ultimately, RARARA isn’t just a collection of songs but a sort of invitation to join the band on an adventure of self-discovery, connection, and the kind of honesty that only comes from embracing who they truly are. After all, home is where the heart is, and drawing from that idea, the album shifts into high gear, guiding listeners toward new experiences, emotions, and horizons along the way.

Additionally, experiencing the album alongside the band’s earlier songs in their longest set yet felt intimate with the small crowd. As the night slowly came to an end, taking a piece of what the band had shared about the grander scheme of adventures, it became clear to me that life is about living fully and embracing new experiences as journeys into the unknown, without being afraid to see what lies ahead.